


Fateful Accidents

by CelticArche



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, Gen, Prompt Fic, Trans Male Character, Trans Newton Geiszler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-28
Updated: 2015-07-28
Packaged: 2018-04-11 16:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4443824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticArche/pseuds/CelticArche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a prompt fill. I lost the original prompt, but the idea was two people have the same luggage, and it gets switched at the airport.</p>
<p>Beta'd by cephalopod_groupie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fateful Accidents

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cephalopod_groupie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cephalopod_groupie/gifts).



Hermann is both tired and frustrated by the time he arrives at his hotel. His transfer flight to the conference had been canceled. It had been frustrating to find out, then no one had seemed to know anything about it.

By the time a competent airline employee _at his destination_ had arranged for a new flight and to have his luggage moved, Hermann was suffering with sharp pain from his hip down to his knee.

He’d had to walk half way across the airport. He had the pleasant experience of being given a free upgrade to business class. He’d taken his new seat an hour after he was supposed to have arrived at his destination.

Hermann is grateful for expediency of the hotel, as well as the blessed silence of the halls on his way to his second floor room. The door opens, and Hermann enters, pulling his suitcase behind him. He glances in the bathroom, and plans for a nice, warm soak to ease the pain. But first, he must unpack.

He places his suitcase on his bed, then places his laptop bag on the desk. He rests his cane against his bed, and unzips the black, rolling suitcase. Inside… is not his neatly folded wardrobe. Nor his toiletries. Inside is a chaotic mass of fabric. Hermann is not in a habit of prying.

He begins to, carefully, move the fabric pile around. There are worn t-shirts, jeans, wrinkled dress shirts, plastic toys… and is that?!

Hermann’s face burns as he hastily closes the lid. He fumbles for the tag. It reads that its owner is a Newton Geiszler from Boston. It also lists a mobile number. Hermann sits on his bed, his heart racing uncomfortably against his ribs. He opens the suitcase lid again, slowly, as if the plastic figure of Godzilla is going to attack him.

He is horribly embarrassed to be prying into the effects of a complete stranger, however he seems unable to help himself. He’s fairly certain that the _thing_ is a vibrator. What sort of person packs a _vibrator_ in their checked luggage?

There are Elmo and Cookie Monster boxers mixed in the mess. There is also a plush Godzilla, his scales worn in places and with two different eyes. At the bottom of the suitcase is a small pile of books.

Feeling as though he is crossing a line, but at the same time desperately wanting to find out more, he picks up one. There is nothing on the cover, but when he opens it, he finds exquisite drawings. Mixed in with detailed, labeled sketches of cells, organs, and chemistry molecules are sketches of all kinds of monsters.

Hermann has never felt much for movies about monsters. These drawings make him feel empathy for them. Hermann slowly closes the book, places it back under the pile of clothes, and zips the suitcase closed.

He’s staring at the bedside clock and debating if it is far too late to phone a person from Boston, when his mobile rings. He fumbles for the clamshell device.

“Gottlieb.”

The voice that greets him is way too energetic for his liking.

“Dude! I’m glad you answered. I figured it was late. I got your suitcase by accident. My name is Newt Geiszler.”

“Ah, yes. I, uh, seem to have accidently picked up yours, as well. If you like I am in town for a conference. Perhaps-”

“The International Conference on Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Engineering?”

“Yes. You’ve heard of it?”

“I’m in town for the same conference!”

There is a short discussion about how Newt is going to present his research on artificial tissue growth and Hermann’s physics research. After two arguments and a flurry of insults, Herman remembers that they had the other’s suitcase.

It turns out Newton is several floors above Hermann. Newton agrees to come to Hermann’s room for the switch. Hermann is physically exhausted, but mentally energized. While waiting for Newton, Hermann gets his pills from his laptop bag with a bottle of water. He finishes swallowing when there is a knock at his door.

Hermann goes to the door and opens it. Standing there is a short man with messy brown hair, thick framed black glasses, and wearing faded jeans with a t-shirt and scuffed boots. On his neck are hints of color that disappear under his shirt.

“Hermann? Hi! I’m Newt! Here’s your suitcase.”

“Oh, thank you. Yours is in here.”

“May I?”

“Certainly.”

Hermann takes his case from Newton, and heads toward his bed. Newton opens his case and digs quickly through it to be sure everything is inside.

“I have to say, I was pretty worried when I opened my suitcase, only to find that it wasn’t mine! You know, the last time that happened, I had to go buy myself a week's worth of clothes. I am really glad that it was a switch and not the airline losing my luggage!”

Hermann’s only half listening to Newt, unaware that he’s staring at the bright colors on the other man’s neck. He idely massages his leg until a hand waves in front of his face. He blinks rapidly, jerking his head back on reflex.

“Hey! There you are! You totally zoned out on me, Herms! Where’d you go in there?”

“My apologies. It has been a rather long, and frustrating, day for me.”

“Oh, hey, sure! No problem, dude! I’ll, uh, just get going then.”

Hermann walks Newt to the door. Newt steps outside, turning back to Hermann.

“Oh, um. I, uh, didn’t mean to pry… like into your suitcase and all… just, you know, when I opened it, thinking it was mine… well, I noticed your space junk.”

Hermann’s cheeks start to turn red, knowing very well what “space junk” is in his suitcase. Newt’s hands fly up in a placating manner.

“I mean, I don’t even. Um. Okay, hey, look. I don’t know if you’re into dudes… but you seem really, really smart. And I dig that sort of thing. So, maybe, we could get to know each other? Breakfast?”

Hermann’s red cheeks become even more red. His mouth opens and closes, his brain helpfully recalls the phallic shaped object in the other man’s suitcase. Leaning on his cane, Hermann straightens his back and shoulders. He raises his head, and his jaw sticks out with determination.

“Yes, I rather think I would like that.”

The smile on Newt’s face leaves Hermann anticipating a weekend of social interaction and Newt’s company.

**Author's Note:**

> Both the incident with the surprise!flight connection cancellation and the loss of my luggage have occurred to me. Neither was pleasent.


End file.
